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Anyone have any recommendations in Amsterdam (or other areas of the Netherlands)? Thanks!

None specifically, since it's been well over a decade since I was there, but if you like food spicy try an Indonesian restaurant. Seriously. Some of the best Indonesian in the world can be found in the Netherlands.

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I spent many happy days patronizing Eetcafe Het Molenpad (Prinsengracht 653) in the late 90s.

Restaurant D'Theeboom on the Singel was pretty reliable back then. Hardly a fresh review, of course.

Kantjil & de Tijger on the Spuistraat was always good for a quick Indonesian lunch near the center of town. It's also more or less across the street from Hoppe, one of the better gin tasting bars (proeflokalen). Tempo Doeloe on the Utrechtsestraat used to be held to be the best Indonesian food on offer, as I recall.

If you just want to drink some good beer, try In de Wildeman on the Kolksteeg. Even has a no smoking (anything) section.

Some of the better brothels also serve surprisingly good food. It is said.

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Hello Old Friends. I am happily living in Amsterdam (via Luxembourg) so if you are visiting drop me a line. Just starting to discover the local restaurants but the Thai, Indian and Indonesian are the best I have had in Europe.
My husband is from Amsterdam and we spend quite a bit of time there. We mostly stay and eat at the houses of friends/family, but these are some of the places we like. Kop van Jut, Leidsekruisstraat 24 (just off Leidseplein) - traditional Dutch - don't let the location keep you away as it is not a place frequented by tourists (although it should be); the name has a fascinating story behind it. Van Dobben, a great sandwich shop that has a full range of small sandwiches, just off Rembrandtplein, at Korte Reguliersdwarsstraat 5. I also recommend going to the Albert Cuyp market in de Pijp - lots of cheese, seafood, fresh stroopwaffles, and on the sidestreets some decent carry-out places. For poffertjes, pannekoeken and uitsmijters (traditional dutch egg dish), we like the Carousel, near the Heineken Hoek, but lots of places that serve these dishes. Most people go to the Pancake Bakery, near the Anne Frank Huis, which is ok, but nearly always packed. My mother-in-law, who sadly passed away recently, lived in de Pijp so we ate at a lot of small neighborhood places - she was Indonesian, and we generally ate or got carry-out at Indonesian or Surinamese places in that area. For steak, we like Gauchos - again, in a really touristy area (Damstraat), but good service and the meals have been consistently good.
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Any recs for solo dining? Not that Doner Kebab isn't the default option anyway :lol:.

Amsterdam

Sama Sebo for Indonesian rijsttafel. It is near the Riijksmuseum. It's a banquet worth the effort even if it doesn't seem like a solo endeavor. I am sure they will accommodate - or drag a newfound friend along. Don't miss it.

Eden Amsterdam American Hotel for Jazz Brunch on Sunday.

Peperwortel - peperwortel.nl - and/or any cheese shop for takeout to picnic and great people watching at Vondelpark.

Pacific Parc in Westerpark for the scene and beers.

Gary's Deli - garysdeli.nl - Gary immigrated from the states in the 90s to pursue a ballet career and brought New York bagel love with him.

Elsewhere in Holland

Oud Sluis - oudsluis.nl - ranked 42nd best restaurant in the world in the 2008 S. Pelligrino's The World's 50 Best Restaurant List. I've yet to go there, but it is highly recommended by credible culinary pals.

Café de Blonde Pater in Nijmegen for great specialty coffee service - likely the best in Holland. FYI Amsterdam does not have a great coffee scene despite its great coffeeshop scene. Amsterdam thinks it knows coffee, but it is lagging.

Anne&Max - annemax.nl - a cafe serving very good specialty coffee in Alkmaar and Haarlem

The city of Alkmaar for the Friday morning cheese market and kaasmuseum. A bit cheesy - pardon the pun.

Maastricht is my favorite restaurant city destination in Holland. Great hang-out town; there are several Michelin star dining spots.

The town of Hoorn is a colorful nautical walkabout with some good pubs.

If it ain't Dutch it ain't much

The Dutch are understandably proud of their fine dairy products: milk, cheeses, yogurts, butters, creams available at all grocers.

Also Calvé Pindakaas (peanut butter)

And herring. It's a regional thing - as in service and eating styles vary. The locals will instruct. It must be done.

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Hello Old Friends. I am happily living in Amsterdam (via Luxembourg) so if you are visiting drop me a line. Just starting to discover the local restaurants but the Thai, Indian and Indonesian are the best I have had in Europe.
Anything new to recommend? We are visiting next week for the Queen's Day holiday (think of the 4th of July on steroids).
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Been several years since this thread has been active.  We'll be in Amsterdam next week, just for a couple of days.  Any ideas?  Nothing fancy or expensive, just some good eats.  Is rijsttafel still a must have?  Other Indonesian or other cuisines?  Other specific dishes? What's a good strategy to find good stuff?

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I had a group dinner at Restaurant La Rive in the Amstel Hotel recently. Fantastic, top to bottom. The service was friendly yet refined, and several of the courses were inventive and surprising while still being delicious and satisfying. One highlight was an early course--an amuse of a cherry tomato that was marinated, lightly coated (in rice flour, maybe?), fried, and then candied (it's a bit hard to explain, but this was absolutely delicious). I think we had severn courses in total, and after two dessert courses were treated to a chocolates course that capped a perfect evening. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

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We'll be in Amsterdam for about 3.5 days in March - arriving on a Wednesday PM and then leaving on Sunday AM.  Thoughts on where to eat/drink?  We are big beer people, but we'd also be interested in learning more about genever.  As for food, we are pretty adventurous (though I don't think my husband is going to warm to the herring that seems so popular), and we try to do a mix of fine dining and casual spots.  Any advice would be much appreciated!  Also interested in any not-to-miss sights/activities and places to stay - though, much like I mentioned in the Paris thread, we are trying to stick to SPG and/or Hilton.  Thanks!

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We'll be in Amsterdam for about 3.5 days in March - arriving on a Wednesday PM and then leaving on Sunday AM.  Thoughts on where to eat/drink?  We are big beer people, but we'd also be interested in learning more about genever.  As for food, we are pretty adventurous (though I don't think my husband is going to warm to the herring that seems so popular), and we try to do a mix of fine dining and casual spots.  Any advice would be much appreciated!  Also interested in any not-to-miss sights/activities and places to stay - though, much like I mentioned in the Paris thread, we are trying to stick to SPG and/or Hilton.  Thanks!

For beer, I can not stress strongly enough the qualities of in de Wildeman and Cafe Gollem (particularly the Proeflokaal on Overtoom). in De Wildeman has a solid draft beer list to start with, and then they have a beer menu... and then they have a black book that you have to ask for (possibly a time or two to show you really do want the thing) with aged Gueuze and all kinds of other goodies. Not particularly cheap (at least once you get to the reserve book), but its beer you'll never find in the US unless its been sitting in someone's cellar.

Cafe Gollem Proeflokaal (haven't been to the other two Cafe Gollem's so they may be similar) also has a solid drat list and probably a wider selection in their menu than in de Wildeman, though without the reserve book (at least that I saw). Amsterdam isn't Brussels, but if you like Gueuze or Trappists (or even interested in the local breweries like t'IJ or Molen) you'll be able to drink your fill. Just like the US you'll need to do a little bit of searching to find the right place, but both in de Wildeman and Cafe Gollem's three locations are right near everything.

Both times I've gone I've stayed in Marriott's (the value of playing the field and having status/points in almost every major program :) ) so can't offer much by way of suggestions for SPG/Hilton hotels.

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This list is from last February, but from a Dutch friend who lives in Amsterdam. 

 


New place good reviews

 


Trendy place with LIVE music (thu / sun), they have a special valentine menu.

 


Closeby the restaurant pompstation there is the Brewery IJ with special beers (-:

 


Old big storage building that has been changed into stiores and places, brasserie tram 3 good for lunch and meatwest is a steakhouse.

 


Loetje is famous for good steaks in Amsterdam, they have a couple of places but the one by the old Harbor has a nice view. to go there you can the ferry behind central station.

 

 

I also highly recommend a great little sandwich shop just off Rembrandtplein - Van Dobben ( Korte Reguliersdwarsstraat 5-9). 

 

Things to do - other than the amazing museums - spend time around the "Nine Streets," the Albert Cuyp market in De Pijp, and if the weather is good rent bikes and ride to Volendam, Edam, and Marken. A rather long distance if you do not ride regularly, but a flat, easy loop and great scenery.

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I don't remember any of the restaurants, but we had a great time doing two of these food tours:  http://www.eatingamsterdamtours.com/

We just really didn't know anything about the Amsterdam food scene, so it was a great way to taste a little of everything.  There are a lot of diverse (and delicious!) food cultures representing in Amsterdam, so we were pleasantly surprised (and stuffed).

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I appreciate all this in advance.  My son just moved to Tilburg Netherlands for the next 6 months and I will be visiting him, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Brussels in April.  Hopefully by the time I get there he starts to appreciate Indonesian food.

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5 hours ago, MarkS said:

I appreciate all this in advance.  My son just moved to Tilburg Netherlands for the next 6 months and I will be visiting him, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Brussels in April.  Hopefully by the time I get there he starts to appreciate Indonesian food.

Or will be happily feasting on the boys in the "houses with boys" in Amsterdam. Yeah, Indonesian food for sure!!

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I'm currently in Amsterdam for business meetings, but in the name of controlling travel costs flew in 24 hours early, sacrificing some personal time for a day of "workcation". Been eating very well...

Rijks - The weather was stunning (70 and sunny) and we were able to sit outside. They have a price fixe option €47 for four courses which was a perfect way to experience their menu paired with their excellent cocktails it was a fantastic lunch. The first course was a green gazpacho with crudite, avocado and burrata that was a pretty huge portion for a lunch tasting menu. Second course was steamed chicken with a light curry sauce. Cheese course was an ice cream made of Gorgonzola paired with different preparations of cherries.  The dessert course was made with coconut, basil seeds and mango.

Guts & Glory -  They don't publish a menu and offer five, six or seven course menus. They're currently celebrating their third anniversary with a "best of" their various chapters or menu themes since they opened. The meal started with an amuse including more green gazpacho, first course was ceviche, second was asparagus, third fish in a saffron sauce, fourth ramen, fifth lamb, a pre-dessert made with eggplant  and chocolate, and the dessert was a play on lemon meringue pie. Each course was very different but all were excellent.

Scandinavian Embassy - Its a tiny coffeeshop that serves an excellent all day breakfast menu. Their beans come from various Scandinavian roasters including Koffee Kollective. I was with a colleague and we shared a large pour over that was very delicately extracted - almost tea like. For breakfast we shared their graved lox with poached egg and lots of lovely vegetables and the mushroom pancake. Both items were STUNNING. Sprudge wrote that this could be the first Michelin starred coffee shop and I can completely see what they're saying. The coffee reminded of what we had at Fuglen in Tokyo the food was as good or better than what we had at coffee shops in Sydney or Melbourne. 

Van Wonderen Stroopwafels - They make them fresh in front of you with different interesting toppings. A warm, fresh stroopwafel is a divine thing. 

 

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26 minutes ago, reedm said:

My daughter and one of her friends will be in Amsterdam beginning tomorrow for a few days. (Both are 21) If anyone cares to recommend very good/great and inexpensive places, please let me know. Thanks!

I was there this Spring: Have them do a Canal Tour - yes, they're touristy, but they're also an absolute must. They're everywhere, and it won't matter which one they take (ironically, our boat driver was personal friends with Bart Vandaele - the one we took was across the canal from Hotel Ambassade (take a right outside the hotel, then a left across the first bridge, and the tour company is right there)). The first night, dinner was at Lastage; the second night, dinner was at Sinne: Both were Michelin one-star restaurants, but Lastage was the better of the two. 

Force them to go to the Rijksmuseum, which is immersed in Vondelpark (we also went to the Van Gogh Museum - both are in walking distance of each other). There's also the Anne Frank House - we didn't go there, but it might be of interest.

This is one of the most beautiful and interesting cities I've ever seen - rings and rings of canals ... don't even think of having a car.

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34 minutes ago, reedm said:

My daughter and one of her friends will be in Amsterdam beginning tomorrow for a few days. (Both are 21) If anyone cares to recommend very good/great and inexpensive places, please let me know. Thanks!

Definitely go to Vondelpark and the Rijksmuseum. The Van Gogh Museum and the Moco (a modern art museum) are also nearby and worth a visit. My 24-year-old daughter enjoyed the Anne Frank House.I was unable to go because we didn't get reservations in advance. 

My daughter and her friends went out in the Squares at night, and she recommended taking a canal with a smaller company, where they let you bring on your own food and drinks.

Amsterdam is such a fun city. She will have a wonderful time!

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2 hours ago, reedm said:

Thanks for the great suggestions! My daughter has embraced my appreciation of food, so I'm confident she and her friend will find some wonderful spots. 

Both of the restaurants I mentioned were perfectly fine, but without criticizing them, I cant recommend either one in this particular situation (I hope you picked that up in my post). The cultural things, your daughter must do.

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25 years since my last visit to Amsterdam.  Going back for July 4th week.  Thinking about staying in Delft for a night or 2 first, and then Amsterdam.  Any thoughts on what area to stay at?  Thinking Rembrandtplein because it's central and has decent nightlife.  Restaurants in Amsterdam & Delft for lunch and dinner?  

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adaminamsterdam is an Instagram by a friend of my daughter. He posts a rather robust and very current list of a wide range of restaurants and coffee shops. I always recommend a stop at Eetsalon Van Dobben for a really traditional sandwich - especially the broodje kroket. My family like Hotel Notting Hill, near Heineken brewery and Albert Cuypmarkt, with easy tram access everywhere.

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I went to Holland to sight-see - didn't even bother to make any reservations in advance. 

Landed at Schiphol and took the train to Hague.  A note on Dutch trains - by downloading their app, you can buy tickets online, and they send it to your phone and you scan your phone ticket to enter the boarding area.  The app will tell you when's the next train and which platform so you'll never get lost.  It's the easiest way to take a train ever.

At the Hague, I visited the Mauritshuis to see some Vermeer.  I bought a Museumkaart for ‎€64, which allowed me to access up to 5 top museums (I went to the Mauritshuis, Rijks, Van Gogh, and Maritime Museum).  With a Museumkaart, you can skip the ticket line, but at Van Gogh you probably should get a time-entry ticket online.  I also visited the Maudurodam, or miniature Holland (I like trains and legos so I think it's awesome).

Afterwards I went to crash in Delft.  Delft is a pretty town but there isn't a ton to do.  After a few beers and  dinner at the best Indonesian joint in town (they do rice table for 1 - see menu, I didn't find the food all that exciting), I strolled until the sun started to dip (at around 10 p.m.).

The next day I took a day-trip to Rotterdam.  I followed Rick Steves' walking tour and had a snack at the Markthal food hall.  Later on, I stopped at a Chinese restaurant for some pan-fried noodles and vegetarian dim sum.  There's a small Chinatown in Rotterdam and plenty of Chinese tourists, so the Chinese food scene is actually pretty good.  That afternoon, I took a canal boat tour of Delft and then I had some decent Neapolitan pizza (at Pizzabakkers - a chain all over Holland).

On the 4th of July, I trained up to Amsterdam in the early morning as I had booked a food tour of the Jordaan neighborhood.  I didn't think it was worth €79 because I left hungry.  We had 3 stops of sweets (apple pie, waffle and pancake) that I barely ate anything.  We also had some cheese and cold-cuts.  We then had some herring (slimy and fishy) and fried cod (delicious!), and some satay chicken at an Indonesian take-out.  That afternoon I took a canal tour with Those Dam Boat Guys.  In retrospect, I should have taken a more conventional canal tour as I didn't enjoy being on a small boat with a bunch of potheads.  I did have a lovely seafood platter at Lucius. 

On Friday, I walked through the Albert Cuyp Markt - an outdoor market with food vendors, a fish monger, and other peddlers of all kinds of goods.  At my appointed time, I went to the Van Gogh museum.  Even with a timed entry, the place was mobbed.  Dopes would stand in front of paintings while listening to their audio devices, so other people can't really get a good glimpse of the paintings.  The Rijksmuseum was much more civilized and their app is great at guiding you through their highlights.  I did even more walking by taking a guided tour of the red-light district, which apparently will be prohibited come next year.

On Saturday, I went to the Maritime Museum so I can check out the replica tall ship Amsterdam.  Afterwards I had excellent dim sum at the Sea Palace, a fancy floating Cantonese joint near the Centraal station.  That afternoon, just as I was finishing a walk of the city center, it rained and I went back to my hotel.

Amsterdam is also very pretty.  The downsides are stoners smoking pot everywhere and large groups of British yahoos on their drunken bachelor parties.  

Delft (16).JPG

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